Digging Deeper into Discipleship

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The Will vs. The Inheritance

I’mindebted to a writing of A.W. Tozer’s for this line of thought. Someone who is very, very wealthy dies and leaves me his vast fortune. I have his last will and testament to prove it. I have copies of that will. I read it and carry it around with me. I admire its wording. I appreciate the quality of its paper. I’m fascinated with the wisdom of my benefactor. I marvel at the huge assortment of wealth that is now mine. I tell others about it. I’m thrilled that all this is mine. There is, however, a serious problem. I have not used any of my available assets. I’m too engaged with all the information about my riches to get around to using them. Isn’t that what happens far too often with our Spiritual wealth? We have been born into God’s family, if we have received Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Our Father has provided an inheritance too enormous for us to fully calculate. Yet, we go around taken up with the will (God’s Word) and fail to get around to appropriating our immense treasure. Perhaps what James wrote, in James 1:22, speaks to this problem. “But be ye doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.” The Bible was intended to be implemented and appropriated, not just admired and valued. Think of these words from J. Wilbur Chapmen’s hymn, “Our Great Savior,” “Jesus! What a strength in weakness! Let me hide myself in Him; tempted, tried, and sometimes failing, He my Strength, my vict’ry wins. Jesus! What a help in sorrow! While the billows o’er me roll, even when my heart is breaking, He, my Comfort, helps my soul. Jesus! What a Guide and Keeper! While the tempest still is high, storms about me, night o’ertakes me, He, my Pilot, hears my cry. Hallelujah! What a Savior! Hallelujah! What a Friend! Saving, helping, keeping, loving, He is with me to the end.” And all that is just some of the wealth waiting to be used by us! Selah! We need to trust the “will” (His Word) that He has put in our hands and use its riches, not just admire and respect it! Ron